Year: 2016

Taste of the Euro-Northwest

ColdFire Brewing brings European flair to Eugene’s brewing community

Drink
Coldfire

Brothers Stephen and Dan Hughes want their brewery to honor community members who sacrifice a lot and don’t get much recognition — namely, teachers and medical workers. “Healthcare workers and teachers are probably two of the most unrecognized professions I can think of,” says Dan Hughes, who opened ColdFire Brewing Company with his brother in January.  “There are a lot of unsung heroes out there, and we definitely wanted to recognize that those people are an important part of our community,” Stephen Hughes adds. Continue reading →

All About That Barrel

A lesson in barrel-aged beers from the new Alesong Brewing & Blending

Drink
Doug and Brian Coombs with Matt Van Wyk

One of Eugene’s newest breweries features some familiar faces: Matt Van Wyk and Brian Coombs, formerly of acclaimed local brewery Oakshire. In 2015, Van Wyk and Coombs, along with Coomb’s brother Doug, struck out on their own, launching Alesong Brewing & Blending, a company with a unique emphasis on barrel-aged beer. Van Wyk tells EW that Alesong, located in west Eugene, is an artisan brewery “that’s going to mainly focus on barrel-aged beer and Belgian-inspired beers.”  Continue reading →

Beer Beat

Drink some tasty brews

Drink

The Falling Sky Pizzeria & Public House officially opened its doors June 20 at the newly renovated Erb Memorial Union on the University of Oregon campus. Falling Sky’s newest location sells “falling pies,” which includes The Firebird, with roasted chicken, pickled peppers, fried garlic, mozzarella, spicy marinara and hot sauce. Subs, soups, salads and pasta are also on the menu, along with Falling Sky’s tasty brews. Among the current beers on tap: Daywalker Irish Red, Hard Rain American Stout and Make American Wheat Again. Head over to fallingskybrewing.com for the full menu. Continue reading →

Heed the Siren’s Call

In which a grumpy reviewer falls in love with The Little Mermaid at Actors Cabaret of Eugene

Theater
Jenny Parks and Anthony Krall in ACE's The Little Mermaid

I have two sisters, much younger than me, the offspring of my father’s second marriage. I love them both dearly, but when they were little girls and I was in my 20s, they drove me batshit crazy — especially with their fanatical devotion to all things Disney. Both of them possess gorgeous singing voices, always have, and traipsing around the house they would suddenly stop, raise their arms with operatic urgency and begin belting out some saccharine ballad from The Lion King or The Little Mermaid. If I hear about Ariel one more time, so help me … Continue reading →

Local Food for All

Double Up Food Bucks comes to Lane County

Viewpoint

Summer is here, with heat that is ripening berries and tomatoes. For we locavores, lovers and eaters of local food, paradise is at hand. However, local farm fresh foods are still far from the default choice for most, and for many households, fresh produce is unaffordable.  To help get more locally grown fruits and vegetables into the hands of those struggling to put food on the table, Willamette Farm and Food Coalition is partnering with the Lane County Farmers Market to bring Double Up Food Bucks to Lane County.  Continue reading →

Poster Child

Artist Ila Rose makes her mark with the 2016 Oregon Country Fair poster

Visual Arts
Ila Rose with her first public mural in the Whiteaker at 5th Alley and Blair Boulevard

The Oregon Country Fair poster is as much of an institution as the Fair itself. Around May each year, the OCF poster committee reveals the winning design and, like a harbinger of summer, it becomes increasingly ubiquitous, pinned to bulletin boards and taped to storefronts around the region. Artist Ila Rose had submitted work to the committee in the past, to no avail. This year, she nabbed the commission — in a year that, according to the poster committee, had a record-breaking number of submissions. Continue reading →

The Bard Meets Jazz

The 18th annual PICFEST welcomes Shakespeare and the Yellowjackets

Music
Yellowjackets

The Pacific International Choral Festivals (PICFEST) celebrates its 18th season this summer with the premier of Shakespeare & All That Jazz, Sunday, June 26, featuring jazz greats the Yellowjackets, and a 300-voice Youth Festival Chorus, all under the direction of guest conductor and composer Bob Chilcott.    PICFEST draws choirs from all over the country to Eugene, for an opportunity to learn, collaborate and perform.  After nearly two decades, Artistic Director Peter Robb, says PICFEST is “a template we know really well.”  Continue reading →